Tim Anaya
Agriculture
Are Mandatory California Water Cutbacks Coming Soon?
Back in 2014, when I was in my past life working for elected officials, I found myself engaged in one of the more annoying parts of the job – “volunteering” on political campaigns. One day, my volunteer efforts took me to a neighborhood in San Bernardino. Knocking on doors, it ...
Tim Anaya
September 28, 2021
Blog
When Sacramento Big Spenders Suddenly Become Budget Hawks
On Wednesday, the day after millions of Californians cast ballots in the Newsom recall election, there was a common refrain in Sacramento. Prominent advocates of big government and perpetually increasing government spending were suddenly transformed into budget hawks overnight. Their target of “government waste” – the California recall itself and ...
Tim Anaya
September 17, 2021
Blog
Banning Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Could Have Unintended Consequences in Next Power Outage
Californians who have been seen power supplies become more unreliable in recent years have increasingly turned to gas-powered electric generators to keep the lights on during “public safety power shutoffs.” According to the industry trade group, there are 1.5 million portable generators in use in California today. The average gas-powered ...
Tim Anaya
September 15, 2021
Blog
Remembering September 11th, 20 Years Later
Twenty years ago, my day began fairly routinely for the middle of September. I was up early preparing to go to work for the final week of the legislative session – traditionally the busiest week of the year. I had the radio on while brushing my teeth and I heard ...
Tim Anaya
September 10, 2021
Blog
Next Big California Ballot Fight: Legalizing Sports Wagering
Voters wary of the deluge of campaign advertising related to recall election be warned. The next multi-million-dollar ballot fight is just around the corner. According to Politico, “major gambling players (including DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM) intend to ante up $100 million for an online sports betting initiative that would fund ...
Tim Anaya
September 8, 2021
Blog
Another Big Company Leaves California. What Will It Take for State Officials to Change Course?
Forgive us if we sound like a broken record, but the exodus of California businesses out of the state to more affordable and competitive economic climates grew worse last week. The Los Angeles Times reports that the latest corporate headquarters to announce their departure is AECOM, the global engineering and ...
Tim Anaya
August 24, 2021
Blog
Should we Beware the Ides of September?
Gov. Gavin Newsom made waves this week when he said that mandatory state water restrictions could be coming soon to a dry lawn near you. “At the moment, we’re doing great,” Newsom said. “But if we enter another year of drought – and as you know our water season starts ...
Tim Anaya
August 20, 2021
Blog
Legislature Comes Back in Session This Week with Lots of Unfinished Business
Today, the Legislature reconvenes for the final month of the 2021 legislative session. For the next four weeks, lawmakers will be on a mad dash to finalize its work before the September 10 deadline. This year’s legislative session can best be described as being overshadowed by events. On last week’s ...
Tim Anaya
August 16, 2021
Blog
In Bipartisan Vote, U.S. Senate Follows PRI’s Advice in Rejecting ‘Costly Subsidies for the Rich’
You may have missed it amidst the “vote-a-rama” on dozens of amendments to the Senate Democrats’ $3.5 billion budget reconciliation bill being voted on early Wednesday morning, but a key bipartisan vote could put an end to what PRI has termed “costly subsidies for the rich,” or taxpayers subsidizing electric ...
Tim Anaya
August 12, 2021
Blog
Biden’s Electric Vehicle Push Shows He Hasn’t Learned from California’s Mistakes
President Biden announced new federal action on Thursday designed to increase the role of government officials as car salesmen. Politico reports that Biden signed an executive order “setting a target that half of all new vehicle sales by 2030 will be zero-emissions vehicles, primarily electric cars and trucks.” The administration ...
Tim Anaya
August 6, 2021
Are Mandatory California Water Cutbacks Coming Soon?
Back in 2014, when I was in my past life working for elected officials, I found myself engaged in one of the more annoying parts of the job – “volunteering” on political campaigns. One day, my volunteer efforts took me to a neighborhood in San Bernardino. Knocking on doors, it ...
When Sacramento Big Spenders Suddenly Become Budget Hawks
On Wednesday, the day after millions of Californians cast ballots in the Newsom recall election, there was a common refrain in Sacramento. Prominent advocates of big government and perpetually increasing government spending were suddenly transformed into budget hawks overnight. Their target of “government waste” – the California recall itself and ...
Banning Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers Could Have Unintended Consequences in Next Power Outage
Californians who have been seen power supplies become more unreliable in recent years have increasingly turned to gas-powered electric generators to keep the lights on during “public safety power shutoffs.” According to the industry trade group, there are 1.5 million portable generators in use in California today. The average gas-powered ...
Remembering September 11th, 20 Years Later
Twenty years ago, my day began fairly routinely for the middle of September. I was up early preparing to go to work for the final week of the legislative session – traditionally the busiest week of the year. I had the radio on while brushing my teeth and I heard ...
Next Big California Ballot Fight: Legalizing Sports Wagering
Voters wary of the deluge of campaign advertising related to recall election be warned. The next multi-million-dollar ballot fight is just around the corner. According to Politico, “major gambling players (including DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM) intend to ante up $100 million for an online sports betting initiative that would fund ...
Another Big Company Leaves California. What Will It Take for State Officials to Change Course?
Forgive us if we sound like a broken record, but the exodus of California businesses out of the state to more affordable and competitive economic climates grew worse last week. The Los Angeles Times reports that the latest corporate headquarters to announce their departure is AECOM, the global engineering and ...
Should we Beware the Ides of September?
Gov. Gavin Newsom made waves this week when he said that mandatory state water restrictions could be coming soon to a dry lawn near you. “At the moment, we’re doing great,” Newsom said. “But if we enter another year of drought – and as you know our water season starts ...
Legislature Comes Back in Session This Week with Lots of Unfinished Business
Today, the Legislature reconvenes for the final month of the 2021 legislative session. For the next four weeks, lawmakers will be on a mad dash to finalize its work before the September 10 deadline. This year’s legislative session can best be described as being overshadowed by events. On last week’s ...
In Bipartisan Vote, U.S. Senate Follows PRI’s Advice in Rejecting ‘Costly Subsidies for the Rich’
You may have missed it amidst the “vote-a-rama” on dozens of amendments to the Senate Democrats’ $3.5 billion budget reconciliation bill being voted on early Wednesday morning, but a key bipartisan vote could put an end to what PRI has termed “costly subsidies for the rich,” or taxpayers subsidizing electric ...
Biden’s Electric Vehicle Push Shows He Hasn’t Learned from California’s Mistakes
President Biden announced new federal action on Thursday designed to increase the role of government officials as car salesmen. Politico reports that Biden signed an executive order “setting a target that half of all new vehicle sales by 2030 will be zero-emissions vehicles, primarily electric cars and trucks.” The administration ...